Rubber band propelled arrow gun



A. L. GRUENENFELDER RUBBER BAND PROPELLED ARROW GUN Filed May 25, 1964 IrJI/ENTOR: 19L BERT L GRUENENFELOER,

HTTORNE VS United States Patent 3,265,054 RUBBER BAND PROPELLED ARROW GUN Albert L. Gruenenfelder, 1513 fith St, Highland, Ill. Filed May 25, 1964, Ser. No. 369,781 1 Claim. (Cl. 124-22) This application relates to improvements in means for propelling arrows from guns and in particular concerns such a gun that is rubber band propelled and has a line attached to the arrow and a spinning reel.

By means of this invention there has been provided an improved arrow gun, which can be simply used for hunting frogs, fish, and the like. The gun uses a standard arrow that may be provided with various types of barbed points to impale a frog or the like. The gun has an improved trigger mechanism that presents a rubber band propelling means to the rear of the arrow without any jerky motion, whereby the arrow is propelled along the stock of the gun in a smooth and even fashion. In addition, there is provided a simple and efficient, yet inexpensive, rubber band propelling means using simple rubber bands and a nylon cord to propel the arrow.

In order to retrieve the arrow, a nylon fishing line may be attached to it and guided through a ferrule and attached at the other end to a conventional spinning reel, which has a trigger that can lock the fishing line against accidental playout. This works as a safety means should the gun trigger accidentally be operated so that the arrow cannot be propelled in its regular fashion.

The entire gun is constructed out of an integral piece of inexpensive material such as wood or plastic and can be completely installed or broken apart for repair and operated by a normal user without the requirement of any special skill. The gun is rugged and inexpensive, and simple to use with safety.

The above features are objects of this invention and further objects will appear in the detailed description which follows and will be otherwise apparent to those skilled in the art.

For the purpose of illustration of this invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment. It is to be understood that these drawings are for the purpose of example only and that the invention is not limited thereto.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the gun with an arrow placed to one side to show the parts in unobstructed fashion;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the gun;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view in section taken on the line 33 showing the construction of the front end of the barrel and the means for attaching the rubber bands thereto;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view of the gun with an arrow placed on top of the barrel and the rubber bands in operative position;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing the arrow and the propelling rubber bands in operative position;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged view in vertical section showing the positioning of the trigger and rubber band operating pin;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 but showing the trigger in operated position;

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged plan view of the operating pin partly in section; and

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged plan view partly in section of the trigger.

Referring now to the drawings, the gun of this invention is generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 and is best shown in its complete form in FIGURES 1, 2, 4 and 5. As there shown, it includes a barrel 12,

arrow receiving groove 14, operating pin 16, and trigger 18. An arrow 20 is adapted to be propelled by a nylon cord 22 connected to a pair of rubber bands 24 and 26. The arrow is connected by a monofilament nylon line 28 to a spinning reel 30.

The gun portion is best shown in FIGURES 1 through 7 and, as shown, is constructed of an integral piece of wood or similar piece of material. The barrel 12, as shown in FIGURE 3, has a longitudinal groove of hemispherical cross-section at the top 14, which receives the shaft of the arrow. A further vertical groove 32 is provided, which receives a bottommost fletch of the arrow. The other two fletches of the usual three arrow fletches rest above the top of the barrel and form no obstruction. The stock of the gun and the construction of the trigger and the operating pin are best shown in FIGURES 6 and 7. As there shown, there is a hollowed out portion 34 which receives the trigger mechanism 18. A trigger guard 36 protects this mechanism. Further, a vertical passage 38 communicates with the hollowed out portion 34 and receives a bearing 40, which provides for guided movement of the operating pin 16. The trigger 18 is connected to the stock by a pin 42 about which it operates in a biased fashion by means of the biasing spring 44. An arm 46 of the trigger is connected to a flattened portion 48 of the operating pin by a connecting pin 50. This relationship is provided by a bifurcated extension of the arm, indicated by reference numeral 52, and shown in more detail in FIGURE 9.

The rubber band propelling b ands and nylon cord are best shown in FIGURES 1, 2, 4 and 5. The means for attaching the bands to the front of the barrel is shown in FIGURE 3, Where clips 53 and 54 are connected to a bolt 56 running through the barrel. As shown in these figures, there is a ferrule in the form of an eye bolt 58 attached to the underneath side of the barrel, which further serves as a guide ferrule to guide the fishing line when it is played out upon the arrow being shot from the gun.

The arrow 20 is a conventional arrow having the usual three fletches or feathers, indicated by the reference numeral 60. The fishing line may be simply secured to a pin 62 on the shaft of the arrow. Instead of the pin being located at the rear end of the arrow, it will be understood that it may be positioned at the front end which would further limit the propulsion of the arrow upon accidental discharge if the reel safety trigger is in locked position, as will be described below. The arrow is further provided with a piercing means, such as the barbed arrow head, indicated by the reference numeral 64, although it will be understood that other types of arrow heads may be employed.

The spinning reel 30 is a conventional spinning reel such as the Zebco 202 model provided with the usual reel handle 66 and a lock button 68, which prevents a playout of the fishing line until the lock button is actuated. When the line is played out, after the button 68 has been released, the reel handle 66 may be operated to reel the line in when desired, and this automatically resets the lock button 68 so that at the completion of the reeling in operation no line can be played out until the button 68 is again operated.

Operation The gun of this invention can be very simply employed in obvious fashion by merely resting the arrow upon the top of the barrel with the rear end abutted against the operating pin 16. In this position the nylon cord 22 is stretched to the position shown in FIGURE 4 to engage the operating pin. Where the reel and fishing line are not employed for retrieving the arrow, the gun is then ready for use merely by operating the trigger 18. Upon the operation of the trigger 18, the operating pin 16 is retracted and the nylon cord is released and propels the arrow in even and directed fashion along the top of the barrel to its ultimate target.

Where the fishing line is attached to the arrow for retrieval, the same operation is employed as described above, and after the arrow is properly positioned the reel handle 66 is operated to take up any slack. The lock button 68 prevents any playout of the fishing line until it is operated and, accordingly, acts as a safety should the trigger 18 or the operating pin 16 be accidentally engaged. Should such an accident occur, the arrow will be propelled against the restraining force of the fishing line, but it cannot be propelled With its full force beyond the restraining limit of the locked fishing line, which will either break and slow down the force or stop the arrow altogether. Thus, the lock button 68 operates as a precautionary safety mechanism.

When the gun is desired to be discharged to its ultimate target, the lock button 68 is depressed, which presents the reel in a position where it plays out the fishing line upon the actuation of the gun trigger 18 with a negligible resistance. The arrow, after it is propelled to its target, can then be simply retrieved by reeling in upon the handle 66. The reeling in of the line reengages and resets the lock button 68 so that it prevents any further playout until it is again operated. The recocking mechanism of the gun may then be repeated in the fashion as described above.

Various changes and modifications may be made Within this invention as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are within the scope and teaching of this invention as defined by the claim appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

A gun for propelling arrows comprising a barrel having a longitudinally top recessed portion receiving an arrow and a further groove receiving an arrow fietch, a stock having a trigger element, a vertically reciprocal operating pin connected to the trigger element, said pin being operable by the trigger to a protruding position above the stock to a retracted position within the stock, and means for propelling an arrow resting upon said barrel, said means comprising a cord having elastic means connected to the front of the barrel and being adapted to be stretched back over said operating pin, said elastic means comprising a rubber band connecting each end of the cord to an opposite side of the frame to the barrel, and said cord is a nylon cord, and means for recovering the arrow after it has been propelled from the gun, said means comprising a spinning reel having a fishing line extending through a ferrule at the front of the barrel and connected to an arrow, said reel having a locking means operable to lock said reel against playout of the line to afford a safety precaution against accidental operation of the gun trigger, and a handle for reeling said line back in when it has been played out.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,133,189 3/1915 Shannon 124-30 1,452,902 4/1923 Williamson 12418 2,496,217 1/1950 Kearny 273 2,500,509 3/1950 Bailey 124 35 X 2,608,188 8/1952 Howard 124 30 2,731,756 1/1956 Nelson 124-30 3,172,226 3/1965 Andis 124-22 X RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

W. R. BROWNE, Assistant Examiner. 

